From the Archives

Hiking the Lycian Trail – Day 27

Adrasan – Olympos

  • 14KM, forest and mountain trails
  • 748m elevation gain ↗, 763m elevation loss ↘
  • altitudes between 0 and 706 meters above sea level

Our Day on the Trail

Today marks Day 27 of our Lycian Trail adventure. We trekked from Adrasan to Olympos.

The day started and finished with river crossings. (The first was technically a small stream, but crossing the river flowing through Olympos at the end of the day took a bit of planning so we wouldn't get soaked.)

We met three other hikers on the trail today - Oliver from Liverpool and Pasha and Victoria from Russia. We also almost got run over by a maniac on a mountain bike. Other than that, the trail was peaceful and still. We spotted goats, heard woodpeckers and song birds, walked through a stone tunnel, and enjoyed the wildflowers and greenery along the Trail.

We faced an unusual situation on our approach to Olympos. The path indicated by our map and GPS was blocked by a chain-link fence! Fortunately, someone had cut a hiker-wearing-backpack-sized hole in the fence, so we were able to climb through and continue on our way. (It was obvious that others has entered the site the same way, and trail markers were evident on both sides of the fence, so we think it's unlikely we'll get into any real trouble.)

Tonight, we are staying in a tiny bungalow in Olympos, listening to rain drumming on the roof. It's fair to say that we're happy to have a roof over our heads, rather than be tenting in the rain.

Still no major injuries, blisters, or tears to report - although Oktay nearly cried when he thought he lost his favourite tomato cutting knife, and Sue almost cried when the Russian hiker implied she looked more than 10 years older than she actually is. But we both managed to hold it together.

Maybe I'm sensitive because I just had a birthday, but I (Sue) was truly annoyed by a Russian hiker we met on the trail today. He wanted to take my picture and send it to an American friend he'd hiked with a few years ago.

"She's 68 and didn't think anyone as old as her would hike the Lycian Trail."

Granted, I don't spend much time on hair and make-up on a regular day, and probably look a bit like a homeless person when we're hiking, but 68??? (For the record, he's more than a decade off.)

Photos of Today's Hike

Highlights Video